Users of optical devices, such as cameras, spotting scopes, or high power binoculars have difficulty in holding their handheld steady enough from the offhand position to ensure adequate accuracy for long-range shots. Furthermore, it is often difficult to target and remain affixed steadily on an object even at short range for extended periods. After a few seconds of hold, the user's stability generally decreases to the point where adequate definition of the object being studied is lost. An attachment or stand to assist the users of these devices in achieving adequate steadiness would be very desirable.
Solutions that have been devised include harnesses and shoulder support systems to accommodate and compensate for user movement. These systems, though effective, are expensive, cumbersome, often require training and experience to operate effectively and are usually limited to use by professional cameramen. The most reasonable alternative are stands and these comprise tripods and monopods with each having their own intrinsic advantageous and limitations. Most monopods and tripods are made up of a plurality of elongated sections arranged in a telescopic manner to extend the length of the pod.
Tripods are advantageous from the stability point of view, but the need to adjust each leg of the tripod to ensure correct vertical height adjustment requires both physical exertion and focused attention. The effort and time needed to deploy the tripod can be better dedicated to the task of image composition and acquisition. Since increased stability requires a larger tripod footprint on which the legs can be spread out, it is not uncommon for its users to trip over or have camera accessories such as cables and cords get entangled with the extended legs of the tripod. Furthermore, they are generally relatively bulky and heavy to move/transport, as well as being complicated to set up, particularly on uneven surfaces or surfaces which are not horizontal. Monopods, on the other hand, weigh little and take up little space during transportation, they are quick to set up, easy to move with a camera attached while work is in progress, can be placed on substantially any surface and only require a small area.
However, these traditional tripods and monopods that are currently available in the market are of the telescoping leg kind comprising two or more hollow shafts that are slideably connected to each other and engaged by means of an interference fit or clamps which retain them together at the desired position of retraction or extension. Such telescoping means are commonplace and generally utilize an interference fit in order to achieve engagement. U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,827, entitled “Telescoping Leg Lock With Thumb Actuator” to Crain et al. describes one such clamping method, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,995 entitled “Monopod” to Brubach describes another clamping method for telescoping legs. In particular, the Brubach patent exhibits a monopod that can be raised or lowered to virtually any position in the vertical plane while still maintaining level sight alignment. This is accomplished by means of choke collars that are known in the art. However, the Brubach patent does not provide for a counter balancing system to permit a smooth, controlled raising and lowering of the camera and requires the need to release and relock extensible rods.
U.S. Patent Application No. 200201797895 entitled “Monopod Camera Stand” to Boyd et al. shows a series of rod connectors that limit the position of the camera to distinct fixed positions relative to the ground.
A further limitation associated with the effective use of traditional tripods and monopods utilizing hollow telescoping legs for still or video camera image capture are in situations and events where high mobility is required such as photojournalism, sporting events, concerts, ceremonies, where the need to extend/retract and further to continually de-clamp/re-clamp the hollow telescoping legs is limiting. This limitation therefore impedes the use of these traditional tripods and monopods in situations where rapid response is crucial to visually record an impromptu or short-lived event.
There is therefore a need in the marketplace for a robust, simple-to-use monopod support and stabilization system that offers controlled but rapid repeatable stability in a variety of environments, and which is affordable by the larger general consumer camera enthusiast, as well as the professional photographer, and which avoids or overcomes the limitations to the systems described above.